The Somerton Intermodal Terminal, located about 21 kilometres from Melbourne CBD, is one of Australia’s largest freight terminals.
Operated by Intermodal Terminal Company and built by ACCIONA, the $400 million facility welcomed the arrival of its first train in December 2025.
At full capacity, the terminal will eliminate up to 500,000 truck trips from Melbourne’s roads each year – the equivalent of 454 million truck kilometres – saving 451 million litres of fuel and reducing carbon emissions by 189,000 tonnes annually.
Situated adjacent to the Hume Highway and 26 kilometres north of the Port of Melbourne, the facility integrates with the Port Rail Shuttle Network and will be able to accommodate double-stacked trains when the Inland Rail freight corridor is complete.
The rail component of the park comprises 21 kilometres of track. Inside the terminal, there are nine rail sidings to handle the loading and unloading of 600-metre port shuttle services and 1500-metre and 1800-metre interstate freight trains.
The terminal includes standard gauge northern and southern arrival/departure connections, as well as broad gauge access to the south.
The project required a combination of complex turnouts, based on standards from the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC).
When infrastructure company ACCIONA was choosing a supplier to design, manufacture, supply and deliver the turnouts, it turned to Salix – a specialist in the design, manufacture and supply of railway products.
Building connectivity
With six dual gauge tracks and an additional three dedicated standard gauge tracks at the Somerton Intermodal Terminal, turnouts play a critical part in offering freight operators the flexibility to transfer freight from interstate standard gauge rail to Victoria’s broad gauge.
For ACCIONA, finding a supplier who could collaboratively develop dual gauge turnouts, supported by strong manufacturing and supply chain expertise, was key to the successful delivery of the multi-stage project.
ACCIONA also needed a supplier with proven experience in designing and manufacturing to ARTC standards. Salix ticked all these boxes.
“With program changes, we knew we needed to work with an agile team that could cope with design changes – especially given some of the complexity involved in the turnouts,” said Brian Tan, ACCIONA’s Senior Project Engineer – Track for the project.
Following engagement by ACCIONA, Salix dedicated a year to designing and delivering 30 turnouts and custom track work solutions.
These included:
17 – 1 in 8 dual gauge turnouts
2 – 1 in 10.5 standard gauge tangential turnouts
2 – 1 in 9 dual tangential turnouts
2 – 1 in 8.25 standard gauge tangential turnouts
2 – three-way turnouts
2 – gauge splitters
4 – common rail transfers
By December 2025, Salix turnouts had been successfully installed, connecting the intermodal terminal to the ARTC standard gauge network and supporting efficient access to the port.
A strategic choice
To prepare for the new intermodal hub, the port site needed to be redeveloped.
This included an extension of hardstand areas, utility services and ancillary facilities for operation as a container terminal.
The set-up accommodates rail mounted gantry machines, double-stacked interstate trains and 625-metre IMEX (Import-Export) trains.
As part of the inner terminal hardstand development, Rail Mounted Gantry (RMG) Beams were required by ACCIONA – and Salix offered its Gantrex crane rail system solution.
“It made strong strategic sense to engage Salix for our portion of the port redevelopment,” Tan noted.
“Appointing a single supply partner for this scope streamlined delivery and ensured a more coordinated and efficient outcome.”
Together with Gantrex, Salix boasts integrated complementary expertise in rail products, combining turnout and trackwork supply with specialised fastening and alignment solutions for ports, shipyards, steel mills, aluminium smelters, railway depots and heavy industries.
Salix has previously supplied Gantrex crane rail systems to neighbouring projects, including the redevelopment of Webb Dock East in Port Melbourne – which featured Ship to Shore as well as Automatic Stacking Cranes – as well as the rehabilitation works at Swanson Dock.
The use of soft mount components designed specifically for crane runways has helped to direct those forces in a way that reduces shock and vibration, while controlling alignment and providing a predictable path to almost eliminate the fatigue damage caused by gantry crane operation.
Gantrex crane rail systems are designed to perform in some of the most demanding operating environments, where extreme heat, dust and heavy, hazardous loads are standard. Built to accommodate vibration, structural movement, beam misalignment and other real-world stresses, they provide the reliability needed to support continuous production and just-in-time operations.
Salix’s scope of supply covered the complete Gantrex crane rail fastening system for both the inner and outer terminals at Somerton Intermodal, including Gantrex RailLok clips, rail pads, grout, anchor systems and associated fastening components, in addition to the supply of mild steel support plates and installation consumables.
Salix worked closely with Gantrex engineering teams to support ACCIONA during design clarification and to ensure the selected rail fastening system met operational and load requirements.
“We facilitated technical workshops and ongoing correspondence between the client and Gantrex to resolve detailing queries and confirm installation methodology, managed design refinements during the project and coordinated timely technical responses and updated documentation from Gantrex,” said David Brady, Business Development Manager at Salix.
“We also arranged international mobilisation of Gantrex installation supervisors to provide on-site expertise and ensure system installation was carried out in accordance with manufacturer specifications.”
Brady said that as the Somerton Intermodal Terminal grows toward full operational capacity, its impact will extend well beyond Melbourne’s northern suburbs.
“By strengthening connections between road, rail and port, the new intermodal terminal is set to play a central role in reshaping how freight moves across Victoria and the broader national network.
“For ACCIONA and Salix, the project highlights the value of close collaboration in delivering complex rail infrastructure, while positioning Somerton as a key enabler of more efficient, reliable and sustainable freight movement for decades to come.”
